


A Rainy Day and a New Shirt

by leafbaby



Series: Moominmamma's Motherly Instincts [2]
Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: Adopted Child, Fluff, Gen, Parental Love, mother knows best, snufkin basically gets adopted, snufmin if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 04:17:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19124413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafbaby/pseuds/leafbaby
Summary: After a nasty storm brings Snufkin to Moominhouse, Moominmamma knows exactly what to do.





	A Rainy Day and a New Shirt

There had been awfully miserable weather in Moominvalley as of late. Strong winds from across the sea brought dark storm clouds and powerful gusts that blew about the trees and turned the normally peaceful valley into a frightful looking place. For Moominmamma, this was a particularly busy kind of weather - everyone had to stay inside, so there was extra cleaning to do, and extra houseguests (such as Sniff, whose house often because flooded in the slightest rain, and Snorkmaiden who found her brother poor company during a frightful storm) meant more food needed preparing, making up spare beds, making sure no one was too stressed about the weather…

She paused in her stirring of a hearty vegetable stew to look out her rattling kitchen window. If she squinted she could just about see Snufkin's tent. Usually she would have expected him to have taken far off to dry land in this kind of weather, although the storm had blown in very quickly. Perhaps he hadn't had time to prepare, and it certainly wasn't safe out in this nasty weather. 

She left the stew to simmer, grabbing an umbrella on her way out the door. 

"Snufkin!!" Moominmamma called through the heavy rain, spotting a green shape moving about. "Come inside, please? It's too dangerous!"

Snufkin paused in his hasty packing at the sound of his name, turning to see Moominmamma almost to the bridge. She was right, and he knew it. There was no way he could safely get through the forest in this. Hefting his soggy bag onto his back, he trudged up the path towards Moominhouse. 

Once both were safely inside, Moominmamma took off her apron, drying off the worst of her fur. Snufkin, however, was far more worse for wear, his clothes so sodden he was dripping onto the floor. "Oh, dear, you look like a poor drowned little thing! Don't worry, I'm sure I have something else you can wear. Just leave your things by the door, we can sort those out later." She sprung into action, wandering off to the kitchen in search of a towel.

"I'm quite fine, Moominmamma, it's just a bit of rain," Snufkin insisted despite his chill, though he removed his soaked hat and hung it on the coat rack. 

"Nonsense, dear, you'll catch a cold if you stay in those wet things." Moominmamma returned with the towel, handing it to Snufkin. "Dry yourself as best you can, I'll go up and see what I can find for you to wear."

Moominmamma walked up the stairs towards the guest room, a still-damp-but-not-dripping Snufkin trailing after her. She went for the wardrobe in it, revealing all kinds of bright and colourful clothing. Moomins didn't usually wear clothes, but Moominmamma loved to sew, resulting in a closet of garments not suited for Moomins at all. 

In fact, the shirt Moominmamma pulled out was quite suited to a Mumrik. 

Dark green in colour, with embroidered tulips in pink and yellow decorating the sleeve cuffs and bottom hem, a bright yellow trim around the neckline, and just in Snufkin's size. His eyes went wide with surprise as Moominmamma handed him the shirt, along with a pair of drawstring trousers in a light tan colour bearing matching yellow trim to the shirt. It was certainly a proper outfit, one that complimented Snufkin's usual ensemble well. "Will that do, dear? I better go put another apron on so I can finish the cooking."

"Moominmamma, wait! You… made this for me?" Snufkin stared in surprise, unsure of this beautiful gift. 

"Think nothing of it. Everyone deserves something nice to wear every once in a while. Now help yourself to a pair of socks from the dresser as well and just leave your wet things in the hall, I'll give them a wash later." 

Moominmamma left to give Snufkin some privacy, getting a clean apron from the dresser in her room. By the time she was finished, all of Snufkin's wet things had been left in a puddle by the guest room door. She gathered them up and carried them back down to put in the laundry bucket. Hopefully after this rain was gone there’d be a good few days of drying weather…

She got herself back to work preparing the stew, having a small taste and adding this and that to improve the flavour. It was easy for her to get into a rhythm, working off the memory of making stew like this hundreds of times before. The thing that broke her focus was loud voices from the parlour.

“Wow, Snufkin! Is that a new shirt?” Moomin asked excitedly. “It looks very good on you!”

“Yes, well, Moominmamma is letting me wear it as my other clothes are wet,” Snufkin replied. 

“Certainly takes a lot of confidence to wear something like that.”

“Little My! Don’t be rude. Snufkin looks lovely,” Moomin scolded, the tone reminding Moominmamma of herself a little. She laughed to herself, letting the noises of the young ones fade away as she returned her focus to dinner. 

\--

Dinner was much to be expected with such a large crowd, noisy and filled with enthusiastic discussions and stories over a nice warm meal. With the rain still going strong, Moominpappa decided to tell one of his stories in his study, taking all the guests with him so Moominmamma could get to tidying up. 

Well, almost all the guests. 

After putting the big stew pot in the water to soak, Moominmamma returned to the dining room to gather more plates only to find Snufkin already stacking them neatly, the sleeves of his new shirt rolled up in order to keep them tidy and out of the way. "Oh, Snufkin, dear, there's no need for you to help me. Wouldn't you rather listen to Pappa's stories with the others?"

"I'm quite alright, actually." Snufkin carried everyone's bowls to the kitchen, starting to wash up. "I hope you don't mind me giving you a hand. It's… a little noisy upstairs."

"Well, as long as you're where you'd like to be, I don't mind at all." Moominmamma grabbed a kitchen towel from its hook. "Would you prefer to wash or dry the dishes?" 

"I'm fine to wash them"

The silence between them was comfortable, both focused on the task at hand and soon finding an easy rhythm. They could hear the noises of the others upstairs, laughing at Moominpappa's tale. It was then that Snufkin spoke. "Would you prefer to be upstairs with the others?"

"Me? Well, when you've been married as long as I have, it's nice to have new things to discover, so even if I miss a few of Moominpappa's stories, it's always exciting finding out new things about his past."

"No, I mean… wouldn't you rather be enjoying yourself with your family?"

"Well, you're down here, aren't you? You're treasured by everyone who lives here in Moominhouse."

The thought of being part of the family made Snufkin freeze, body tense. He stared out the window towards his tent, his freedom, but between the rain and the dark of night he couldn't even see it from here. Moominmamma laid a gentle paw on his shoulder. 

"I'm sorry if what I said upset you, Snufkin. But… I believe that everyone deserves a loving home to return to. As long as you desire it, there will always be a warm bed, a hot meal and an ear to listen here for you." Her voice was tender, comforting and warm, but it only seemed to make matters worse. 

Snufkin lowered his head, sniffing softly. "I uh… need to use the bathroom…" he mumbled, quickly leaving the room to calm down. 

\--

On Snufkin's return, Moominmamma had prepared some light dessert - a slice of fruitcake each, along with a cup of tea. "Ah, Snufkin! Feeling better?"

"Um… yeah." He hesitantly took a seat, unable to meet Moominmamma's eye. He did, however, break off a small piece of the fruitcake to eat. He was surprised at just how sweet it was, washing it down with the tea. It was a fragrant blend, flavoured with orange. His favourite. 

"Moominmamma?"

"Yes, Snufkin?"

"You were saying before, about us being… family…" he hesitated, trying to find the right words. 

Ever patient, Moominmamma simply stirred her tea as she waited for him to continue. 

"Well, I am a wanderer. A tramp. I go all over the place as I please. I don't have need for family."

"Dear, everyone has need of a family."

"Not me," Snufkin insisted. "I've never had one. I've gotten by just fine."

"Snufkin, I appreciate your unique perspective on many things, but the way you see family…" Moominmamma paused to find the right words. "Have you ever spent a long time on the sea?"

Snufkin shook his head no. 

"Well, staying at sea for a long time is very dangerous. You need supplies see, things like drinking water and food, or a tarpaulin to protect from the weather. The longer you spend at sea, the less resources you have to survive with. Even the most grandest of boats need to port and restock from time to time." Moominmamma paused to take a sip of tea. "Family is not a burden, not an anchor tying you in place, but a way to help soothe the harshness of the world. I admire your adventurous spirit, but a place of safety, where you are loved and cared for, where you can love and care for others… that's what it means to be family."

The kitchen remained silent as Snufkin mulled over all Moominmamma had said, nibbling at his cake slowly until it was all gone. The day was finally catching up to him, with so many thoughts in his head he needed to think through. 

Once all his tea was gone, he pushed the cup away and stood. "Thank you, Moominmamma, you've given me a lot to consider, but I really must get some rest."

"That's alright, dear. I hope you don't mind, we're a little full this evening so I've set up a bed for you in Moomin's room. But first…" Moominmamma stood, dusting cake crumbs off her apron. "Might I offer a hug?"

Snufkin considered a moment before nodding, suddenly finding himself engulfed in white fur, Moominmamma's arms wrapped around him snug, his own arms meekly tucked to his chest. Warmth surrounded him from all sides, the deep pressure making him feel… safe. 

All too soon, Moominmamma let him go, gently ruffling his hair as Snufkin had seen her do with Moomin countless times. "Sleep well, Snufkin."

\--

Snufkin stared up at Moomin's ceiling, listening to the rain outside and the slow breathing of his dear friend. He ran a thumb along the delicate embroidery on the shirt he still wore, feeling something strange in his chest. 

"Moomintroll?" He whispered into the dark.

"Yes, Snufkin?" Moomin replied sleepily. 

"You are very lucky to have a mother like yours."

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I was gonna write more Moominmamma+Snufkin fics in between this one and the last one but I couldn't stop writing this and it's finished so uhhh yeah hope you liked it! Snufkin's adopted whether he likes it or not!
> 
> you can follow me on tumblr @leafo-supreme!


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